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If the Forester was the canoe of our trio, meaning hard to maneuver and control but capable enough to make it down the river, the character of the RAV4 was more akin to that of an inflatable watercraft. It’s cheap, kind of fun, and suitable for all. Toyota may have reined in the scope of the RAV4, yet it’s not any better targeted at enthusiasts—or anyone in particular, for that matter. As Toyotas often do, the RAV4 occupies the middle ground between performance and value.

Our most concrete complaint with the RAV4 was with its interior styling and ma­teri­als. There are textures, fabrics, and metallic accents galore, but the longer you look at them, the weaker the illusion of luxury becomes. Part of the dash is wrapped in a stitched vinyl, but below that area is a rubberized plastic with faux stitching molded into it. While the simple layout of the controls was every bit the match of the CX-5’s, we grew tired of the contrived execution.

We’d gladly keep the seats of the RAV4, however, as their support was equal to that in the CX-5 but with noticeably more padding to help you last an entire day behind the wheel. The RAV4’s suspension and steering are both capable when pushed, and body motions are well controlled, especially compared with the Forester. The RAV4 has the lowest center of gravity of the trio. In fact, it even nicked the CX-5 in our slalom test. But the steering on the Toyota was never as communicative as the Mazda’s, and we felt the RAV4 sometimes crashing over bumps that the Mazda paved right over. Other than these occasional intrusions of the suspension system, the RAV4 offers a mostly serene driving experience, a judgment proved out by our sound-level measurements, which ranked it quietest overall.

The center console of the RAV4 has both “eco” and “sport” buttons. Pressing “sport” sharpens up the throttle a bit. Sort of. The RAV4 still never feels particularly powerful, and the six-speed automatic’s own sport mode merely guillotines the top two gears. Through the quarter-mile, the RAV4 was only 0.2 second ahead of the Subaru, an advantage attributable to the Toyota’s superior transmission and power-to-weight ratio.

What the RAV4 lacks in sport it tries to make up for in utility. With the rear door switched from a side-opener to a conventional top-hinged hatchback, the Toyota is easier to load. The low floor helps, too: At 26 inches from the ground, its sill height is four inches lower than either of its foes. The RAV4’s back seat was the roomiest. And, despite what the official cargo-volume figures say, the Toyota easily swallows the most cargo when its rear seats are folded down. If we were hard-core into tubing, the RAV4 might be our machine.